Bella Mafia (1997)

People are voting emotionally.

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

Apparently, I must have seen the cut-down version of 'Bella Mafia' - running time: 113 minutes - because like every fifteen minutes there was a time leap into the future (sometimes only months, sometimes years). I just didn't have time to get into the story that way. Also, it had this artificial drama feel to it and the same sappy score to go with it. Now, I understand this way of film making, but I don't exactly approve of it. But than, at the 1-hour mark, a lot of people suddenly get killed in two simultaneous scenes and this made-for-TV movie promptly becomes very, very interesting. And during the next 50 minutes, it totally redeems itself from the flaws of the first half. The ending is marvelous, especially when you've come to learn a lot about the characters' background. Nastassja Kinski's role is the pillar of all the drama & intrigues in 'Bella Maffia' and the best part of it all is that nobody knows about it (except for one person at the very end). There seems to be a two-part mini-series of this film (with a lot of extra scenes, I imagine - 2x105 minutes). So if you're interested in seeing 'Bella Mafia', I could advice you to watch the full mini-series. You'll probably get more out of it. Oh, and there's quite a few shocking scenes in this movie, especially considering it was made for TV. Not bad at all. Just be sure to be persistent biting your way through that first hour.

There have been many TV movies based on the mafia, but this particular film, BELLA MAFIA, is about the finest. Brilliant performances by the entire cast. In my humble opinion, and even though I have seen a lot of his work I believe this is JAMES MARSDEN'S finest performance. It still irks me to this day why he was not nominated for an Emmy. The guy is superb, as well as Natasha Kinski and Vanessa Redgrave. JAMES MARSDEN, as handsome as ever, is pure evil and brings so much depth to his character. You want to care about him and fear him at the same time. This movie ranks up there with THE GODFATHER. Do not hesitate to see this movie. The fact that it is not on DVD yet is a crime unto itself!! It has not popped up on TV lately but it should. Too bad this wasn't originally a theatrical release. It has Oscar written all over it!!

First I want to make this clear - there are two versions of Bella Mafia out there, one is a two hour edited version which doesn't tell the whole story. What people out there in TV Land want to rent is the 180 minute one. The story of tragedy and revenge is one that pulls you in and plays on viewer's heartstrings. Take a rainy day, add a good friend and some popcorn and make an afternoon of it. You wont be disappointed.Vanessa Redgrove (Legally Blonde) is amazing in this movie, as with all the other women in the cast. Bella Mafia is probably the best performances all these actors did. Truly worth the time to watch, actually it's worth the money to own. You'll be happy you watched it.

Unfortunately the acting of the main characters is the only reason to recommend this film. Vanessa Redgrave was at her elegant best, but the dialogue of her role left her with little/no opportunity to demonstrate her art. The same can be said for Nastassja Kinski and Illeana Douglas. Meg Tilly (whose character was never a part of the book), provided an adequate dose of comic relief. James Marsden can be complimented on his eloquent portrayal of the unnervingly human demon, Luca.But those were the only good sides. The director of "The Last Don" did poorly with this venture, as did the screenwriters. Not only were the characters underdeveloped, but their setting, behavior, and movements were utterly unbelievable. I do not know what the director was thinking, but when the a set of four women remains unchanged and un-aging through the interval of twenty years--the viewer may well question the quality of the film. The accents, so well done in "The Last Don" were misplaced or absent here. To make a long story short (too late?), the actors struggle valiantly against overwhelming odds to do a good job in the mess of a script they must work with, but their battle is lost.